What preps do YOU have for rainy weeks?

[Brent S]

Brent, you mentioned you love lists (me too). Check out Trello.com Great list software!

I appreciate the tip, and will check it out. I mostly use small disposable notepads and a pen currently.

 

[Brent S]

So I noticed that there's not really any discussions here about what to do when the rain just won't stop.

I live in Norway, and here we can get A LOT of rain. People have been evacuated due to flood and rivers deciding to eat houses.

Personally, I have a great deal of firewood inside our appartment (we rent, not much to do about it) for our fireplace in case the power goes bye-bye. I also have a great deal of dried, canned and powdered foods and most don't need to be boiled or heated. Matches, candles and paper is also a must for me + cards and games.
Recently I also cut som sheets of wood large enough to cover our windows if we must.

Soap, toiletpaper and tissues. Oh! I also have a medicine cabinet filled with goodness.

In case we need to be evacuated, I have a list of what goes where and the priority level. Clothes to make a quick trip outside is located so it is easily accessible. We can get out of here within minutes.


So what are you doing to prep for weeks and months with pouring rain?

I've decided to give this thread more thought as it has been a cold nasty rain here for days!

 

[jimLE]

yeah.this is a great thread for rainy days situations,no matter if a person is a prepper or not..on account,folks need things to do,and stay preoccupied on rainy days..even more so when the electric goes out for any length of time..

 

[Alexandra]

yeah.this is a great thread for rainy days situations,no matter if a person is a prepper or not..on account,folks need things to do,and stay preoccupied on rainy days..even more so when the electric goes out for any length of time..

It's quire true. We had no power suddenly (due to the landlord fixing something upstairs) and I felt kinda empty. Luckily I had my pencils and paper.

 

[Arcticdude]

The only place that I ever lived that got weeks of rain was in SE Alaska. It's not uncommon for some areas to get over 100 inches of rainfall. At the time I lived there I worked on a salmon trawler/gillnet boat and logging. Everyday was a work day, rain or shine.

 

[Brent S]

Damn. I just saw that tomorrow has a 90% chance of rain. I only get two days a week to work on projects here and I hate when I loose them to nasty weather. I still have things I can do inside, but they weren't at the top of my list. Oh I forgot to mention, it's cold as well .

 

[Hippophibia]

Hopefully I did not stray too far from the thread.

April this year there was big storm on the Australian East coast from Sydney right past the region known as Hunter Valley/Newcastle. Power was out for 5 days. a few shops had power all candles etc sold out within minutes. The hardware stores were advertising on big advertising boards, chainsaws, tarps and generators - that was the big ticket items people were buying.

A lot of the people especially youth went stir crazy in internet access. I have a lot of board and card games, lots of knives to sharpen, one eventually runs out of things to do.
After a few days with power off people were giving away the meat they had in the freezer. Australians are like that, if something is more than 2 days old they don't eat it.
I have increased the number of canning bottles on hand to be able to preserve any food for extended periods of power out.

I keep two hurricane lamps on hand with plenty of lamp oil some scented some with insect repellents in the oil etc... Lamps were the main means of lighting prior to modern electricity. Lamps are dirt cheap, oil is a minor investment. People like to look a the flame. I have plenty of wind up torches and candles as well.

 

[DrHenley]

When we lost power the last time what got the emergency power were the freezer, the refrigerator, and a couple of fans to help keep us cool. Stage 1 emergency power is a 6 KW inverter. Stage 2 when the batteries run down is a propane generator. We never had to fire up the generator, but I think we can keep the food refrigerated for at least a week by charging the batteries with the generator at the same time we use generator power. Then switch back to the inverter and give the generator a rest until the batteries run down again. The inverter is more efficient than a generator in variable load situations, like a freezer compressor cycling on and off.

 

[Brent S]

When we lost power the last time what got the emergency power were the freezer, the refrigerator, and a couple of fans to help keep us cool. Stage 1 emergency power is a 6 KW inverter. Stage 2 when the batteries run down is a propane generator. We never had to fire up the generator, but I think we can keep the food refrigerated for at least a week by charging the batteries with the generator at the same time we use generator power. Then switch back to the inverter and give the generator a rest until the batteries run down again. The inverter is more efficient than a generator in variable load situations, like a freezer compressor cycling on and off.

This spring my goal will be to get a battery system with inverter to run the fridge and a couple lights and a solar panel to help maintain a charge as well. I have two generators, gasoline and propane, but would like a third option. I try not to remind myself that generators are only good for short term issues. If there's a widespread loss of power, refueling will not be possible after a short period. Even with long term loss of power, I think I could easily stretch the 500gallons of propane to last 6 months plus with conservation. Hopefully helping to wean me off modern conviences.

 

[Warriorhealer22]

Rabbits are pretty easy to care for. It only gets tricky if you want to actually breed them. Fair warning, most of the time, the first litter of a rabbit doesn't make it. Male rabbits though, often don't get along with other males, so you may have to have them separate or some may get along with some, but not others. We actually had one male survive from our first litter, which is why we keep 3 bunnies (though we'd add more if we feel the need).

I'm actually working on a bigger habitat for them, as they keep fine in a small area, but I like to be as humane as possible, and unless there's a SHTF event, we basically treat them as pets (I also want them to enjoy their home and have fun things to hop up to, etc.). Basically, just provide bunny feed (I also like to give them about a half a carrot cut up each day) and water, and keep their habitat clean, and you're good. They also like to have a place they can hide (to simulate a burrow), to feel safe, and of course, keep them out of the rain as much as you can, to keep them healthy.

In hot climates, they can get overheated too, so be sure their habitat/cage allows for airflow. We actually have a fan on ours, and when it's really hot in the summer, we'll stick in a frozen drinking water bottle for them to help keep cool. If you get harsh cold weather, make sure they have some warmth. (they can take cold, but varies by breed).

When getting a water bottle, be sure to get those with metal drinking nibs (otherwise they'll chew it to pieces) and a top opening (to make it easier to refill). As an odd tip, if you find the rabbits can often chew holes in the water bottle, a standard 2 liter bottle screws right into the watering nibs. These are basically free (if you drink from 2 liters), so they can keep chewing, and you can keep replacing. Get metal food bowls too, for the same reason. They'll chew anything else.

Don't rely on chicken wire. It isn't strong enough to hold up to rabbits. Eventually, they will get through it. Use a stronger fencing material, like 1/2 inch hardware mesh. Space should be about 4-6 times the space of the rabbit stretched out. This isn't always easy to achieve with purchased housing though. They take up more space than chickens, and don't give eggs, so are only "productive" when you cull them, but for us, it's good just knowing there is a possibility there.

If breeding, gestation is about 30 days. A female rabbit can breed at 6 months. Most folks breed every 60 days if doing so for food, though usually want to limit it to about 3-4 litters per year for health reasons. Just one breeding couple can really multiply in this fashion, though generally best to have a few different bloodlines.

Thanks for the info! it will come in handy! Eventually

 

[Billy Roper]

Thunderstorms and Flash flooding are forecast fro our parts of the Ozarks over the next few days. We're on a high elevation, so the flooding isn't an issue, but tornadoes are a possibility. Unfortunately, our "tornado shelter" is a 4' tall culvert that goes under the highway down the hill from us, and it won't be usable if it's been flash flooding.

 

[jimLE]

we both need a better tornado shelter situation.only thing we have going for us.is a hall closet,that i still need to work on getting the lumber...some things i already have for rainy days,others i still need to get.but yet.some can/will apply for rainy days.especially if there's no electric..
emergency radio am/fm/weather
flashlights and lanterns
emergency foods
water
clothes
first aid kit
cooking items pots n pans utensils stove
rain suits
dust mask
extra meds (if possible)
whistle & bull horn
hand wipes
hand can opener
bedding
cash money
tent
compass
reading glass's
portable hand held cb/ham radio
camping port-a-potty
helmets
folding saw
claw hammer
crowbar
weapons guns/knifes/bow n arrow
multi tool pliers
lighters and water proof matches
Fire extinguisher
for entertainment..
board games.decks of cards,

 

[Gazrok]

Thanks for the info! it will come in handy! Eventually

Check out my bunny habitat thread, to see how it finally came out. I'm pretty proud of it. Such a nicer place for them!

 

[Maverick]

The only thing raining days keeps us from doing is working the land aside from that everything else remains the same, flooding only affects us several mile away preventing us from heading into town, power outages isn't much of an issue as far as not having any in fact it wouldn't bother me one bit. For entertainment the Wife has an extremely extensive library, board games, cards, crossword puzzles, 20 or so 5k/10k piece puzzles, domino's and many many coloring books for adults and kids and if none of that meets one fancy then don't come to me and say 'I'm bored, nothing to do' because I'll be like, ok I have horses that need brushing and stalls need cleaning no such thing as 'nothing to do'. The only thing that would cause us to evac are wildland fires an all out war/invasion or a mountain with an attitude, I have two live volcanoes one to the Northwest and one to the Northeast of me and besides, mama makes sure the kids and grand kids entertain and spoil me, there always something to do here even on rainy days.

 

[jimLE]

here's some interesting games that can be played,with or without electric..

Story Circle
Have everyone sit in a circle. Someone starts a story and, after a couple of sentences, they look to the person on the right to let them continue the next part of the story. The story gets sillier the faster you go. The sillier the story, the more fun!

Alphabet Game
One person starts out with a sentence like “I went to the grocery store and it sells… [Name a something a store would sell starting with the letter “A”, like Apple].” The next person says the same line and at the end finishes with something grown that starts with the letter “B” and down the alphabet. So the next answer could be “Beans” and so on until you reach the end of the alphabet or can’t think of anything.

I Spy
One person starts out saying, “I spy with my little eye something… [Insert description of what they see here].” The others try to guess what the first person has spied. If they don’t get it, the “spy” continues to give clues until someone guesses. Once someone guesses correctly, they become the spy!

20 Questions
One person thinks of a person, place or thing. The other players get twenty questions to try and figure out what the first person is thinking of. Whoever wins becomes the next to pick the person, place or thing!

One Word Answer
One person picks one word that is a thing. That will be the answer to any question they’re asking during the game. For example: They pick the word, “cat “. Another person asks, “What do you eat for breakfast?” The first person’s answer is “cat.” They keep getting asked questions until the first person laughs. Once they laugh, the person who asked the question that made them laugh is the next answer giver.

Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button? *A button or small item is required.

Everyone sits in a circle. One person who is “IT” stands in the middle and puts the button in one person’s hand. The person who is “IT” closes their eyes and everyone in the circle passes the button behind their backs until they decide to stop. Whoever is “IT” has to try and guess who’s got the button! The person who was holding the button is the next person that’s “IT”.